We propose to integrate Biodefense and Infectious Diseases into an existing and highly successful Summer Research Internship Program (SRIP) at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The goals will be to expose undergraduate underrepresented minority students to state of the art Biodefense and Infectious Diseases research, to instill in them confidence and a desire to consider research as a career option, and to familiarize them with the opportunities that exist for a career in biomedical research. The program runs for ten weeks each summer and is multi-faceted. The first and most important facet involves student exposure to and participation in a research project under the guidance of a faculty member. A second facet has the students participating in a series of weekly workshops in which students are exposed to a variety of advanced research techniques that they are unlikely to see in individual laboratories, including the use of confocal and electron microscopy, bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, genetic mapping techniques, and hybridoma/monoclonal antibody preparation. The third facet includes a series of lectures and discussions wherein the students are exposed to a wide array of research topics and internationally recognized scientists. These scientists include underrepresented minority scientists who can serve as role models. Finally, a fourth facet of our program is a weekly research lunch co-hosted by Dr. Petri and the co-principal investigator, Dr. Hockensmith, during which the students give oral summaries of the past week's research progress, discuss career options and opportunities, and consider approaches for choosing and applying to a graduate program. More than thirty faculty members, whose principal research interests are in Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, will serve as mentors. All components of this program are currently in place. In summary, we feel that our program provides an outstanding environment to stimulate and foster interest in research careers in biomedical research. Reviews of the program by past participants have been outstanding and have contributed significantly to the continued interest in our program.